Water News
Alberta Water News is a free, subscription-based service that provides the latest information on water news across Alberta and upcoming events.
The news is distributed weekly on Mondays via a collated email and Monday to Friday via WaterPortal social media (X was Twitter). Please note that news will not be distributed on Holiday Mondays and will be released the following Tuesday.
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Microplastics found embedded in tissues of whales and dolphins
Science Daily
Microscopic plastic particles have been found in the fats and lungs of two-thirds of the marine mammals in a graduate student’s study of ocean microplastics. The presence of polymer particles and fibers in these animals suggests that microplastics can travel out of the digestive tract and lodge in the tissues. Click here to continue reading
Hamilton tenants went 12 weeks without running water. Internal city emails reveal what went wrong
CBC News
Tenants at a downtown apartment building had been without running water for two days after pipes froze and burst. The landlord had yet to make any repairs. Within minutes of the CHCH news segment airing, the mayor sent an email to top staff, including city manager Janette Smith who oversees all divisions. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Norway prepares for more evacuations as river levels keep rising
CBC News
Authorities were on standby to evacuate more people in southeastern Norway on Friday, where huge amounts of water, littered with broken trees, debris and trash, thundered down the usually serene rivers after days of torrential rain. The level of water in swollen rivers and lakes continued to grow despite two days of dry but overcast weather, with houses abandoned in flooded areas, cars coated in mud and camping sites swamped. Click here to continue reading
Watch where you step: Tourists voice concerns after slipping into holes on icefield glacier
CBC News
When Richard Strandquist and his family stepped off a glacier sight-seeing tour on the Columbia Icefield last month, the safe zone wasn’t yet marked. Strandquist said staff told guests to stay in the plowed area until a perimeter was established. As Strandquist walked on what he thought was solid ice, his left leg suddenly plunged into a water-filled ice hole. Click here to continue reading
Water monitoring group finds 16 invasive crayfish in Nose Creek in less than 60 seconds
CBC News
A record number of invasive northern crayfish has been counted in one of Calgary’s northeast water bodies this past week by a volunteer advocacy group, Save Nose Creek. The group has been testing Nose Creek each week since June for water quality, chemicals and invertebrates, as part of their training with CreekWatch Alberta. Click here to continue reading
Lack of snow shuts down Haig Glacier training in Alberta for the first time in program history
CBC News
Reliable access to summer snow, groomed trails, simple alpine huts to rest your head after a long slosh on skis — all perched atop a mountain in Alberta’s Peter Lougheed Provincial Park near Haig Glacier. The Beckie Scott High-Performance Training Centre has given athletes an edge for decades. A chance for bonding, conditioning in high altitudes and off-season practice, but not this year. Click here to continue reading
Compare and Contrast: Water wars: meet the guardians of one of Europe’s most vital wetlands
The Guardian
In the heart of Spain’s Doñana national park, a battle is being waged to safeguard one of the most important wetlands in Europe. Doñana, with its impressive landscapes and extraordinary biodiversity, hosts an estimated 6 million migratory birds every year. But its fate hangs in the balance. Click here to continue reading
Risk management options are available for drought relief
The Western Producer
At the end of June 2023, 83 percent of the prairie region was classified as abnormally dry or in moderate drought, including 90 percent of the region’s agricultural landscape. With no end in sight to higher-than-normal temperatures, farmers and ranchers are encouraged to look into risk management options. Click here to continue reading
Feed tests especially important during drought
The Western Producer
Several areas in Western Canada are suffering from drought again this year. Drought creates many difficulties for ranchers, who must struggle with the immediate and long-term problems that can arise from not having enough forage for their cattle. Click here to continue reading
Growing more crop per drop
The Western Producer
As irrigation water allocations become more scarce, irrigation farmers battle each other and government regulators for water rights. Some parties have expressed concern about the long-term sustainability of irrigation farming. Click here to continue reading